Interview: Joshua James – “‘Sons Of Anarchy’ Is A Double-Edged Sword”

Utah-based rock and folk muso Joshua James recently made his Australian debut supporting renowned New Zealand musician Neil Finn on his Dizzy Heights tour and we were lucky enough to have Joshua come into Music Feeds Studio to chat to our very own Mike Hohnen about his first Aussie sojourn. Joshua was even kind enough to grace us with an acoustic performance of his song Feel The Love.

We asked Joshua how an up-and-coming Utah folkster was able to score a place supporting such a treasured and illustrious antipodean talent. “With precise and sterile movements [laughs] No, we share a booking agent and we got the email: ‘Would you like to go to Australia and support Neil Finn?’ Of course, we want to come to Australia.”

“We were received, from what I could tell, really well by [Neil’s] fans. We sold consistently really well every night and people approached us and told us that they liked the show or were moved by the show, so I think it was a really good fit,” says Joshua. “We’re just appreciative that Neil let us come out. And to have the opportunity to see Australia for the first time and tour around the country… I live a very charmed life.”

Asked about the honour of having his tracks feature in the hit FX show Sons of Anarchy, Joshua described it as “a double-edged sword.” “The guys from Sons of Anarchy have been very big supporters,” says Joshua. “We’ve had three songs featured in their television show and it’s helped so much and turned a lot of people that would’ve never heard our music onto what we do.”